1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an end caps that can be releasably secured to tubes, and shipping containers formed therefrom.
2. Description of Related Art
In co-pending U.S. Ser. Nos. 10/801,786 and 11/079,739, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, the applicant herein disclosed several embodiments of end caps that were adapted to releasably secure to tubes to form shipping containers. In one such embodiment, the end cap included a sidewall that was adapted to be received within an open end of the tube such that an inner side of the tube was surrounded the sidewall of the end cap. The sidewall of the end cap included at least one projection biased on a deflectable tab portion of the sidewall to extend away from the sidewall into a mounting opening formed in the tube proximal to the open end. This arrangement advantageously inhibits the end cap from inadvertently becoming dislodged from the tube. It also allows the end cap to be removed simply by rotating the end cap relative to the tube until the projection is no longer extending into the mounting opening and then withdrawing the end cap from the tube.
Although the various embodiments of end caps and shipping containers disclosed in co-pending U.S. Ser. Nos. 10/801,786 and 11/079,739 provide many advantages over the prior art, there is still additional room for improvement. For example, in the embodiment previously described above, the outer diameter of the sidewall must be smaller than (or about the same as) the inner diameter of the tube because the sidewall of the end cap must be received within the open end of the tube such that the inner side of the tube is surrounded the sidewall of the end cap. This means that there may be gaps between the outer side of the sidewall and the inner side of the tube that can allow air and moisture to infiltrate the shipping container.